STAY TUNED!

Good morning, blog readers, from cloudy and warm (65 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 16 robins, 6 bunnies, a deer, a dog, a dove and a red-winged black bird! Thank You, Jesus!

Over the last 24 hours, I noticed there was an “uptick” in earthquake activity in the United States. By my count, there were some 50 (2.5+) earthquakes in 7 different states: Alaska, California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and, get this, a “light” (4.4) quake, 189 km W of Pt. Mc Neill, Canada, on the Vancouver Island which bears watching. So, stay tuned!

And, on a different and note, I was saddened to read this headline in today’s Gatestone Institute: “Biden Administration Gives Another $100 Million for Terror: Prefers Aiding Palestinian Terrorists Such as Hamas to Supporting Israel.”

Now, as I have said before, quoting from the Hebrew Scripture (Zechariah 2:8), Israel is called by God the “apple of God’s eye.” And, certainly God has a special place in His heart for Israel. However, as we continue to read the Hebrew Scriptures, particularly Zechariah 13:8, 9, we learn that two thirds of the Jews “will be cut off from the kingdom and perish” because they have rejected Jesus as their Messiah.

So, if you are Jewish, let me ask you, “Have you accepted Jesus as your Messiah and Savior? If not, then you can do that today, right now, by simply agreeing with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16)? Please know that God loves you and I do too and that I am praying I will see and worship with you in the kingdom when the Messiah comes. Blessings with love in Christ, Doug (7/24/24)

HAWAII & HERMLEIGH!

Good morning, blog readers, from cloudy, rainy and warm (80 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 12 robins, 6 bunnies, 3 deer, 2 crows, a red-winged blackbird, a cardinal and a dog! Thank You, Jesus!

Over the last 24 hours, according to the USGS, there have been 28 ” minor” (3.0-3.5) earthquakes in Hawaii and a “light” (4.9) earthquake in Hermleigh, Texas (population: 345, as of 2010). And Jesus said, in Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8 and Luke 21:11,that one of the “signs” leading up to His return, will be “earthquakes in various places,” like Hawaii and Texas today and Lord only knows where they will occur tomorrow. So, stay tuned and remember, Jesus said the “signs of His return” would come like “birth pains.” (Matthew 24:8). Therefore, I believe (and I could be wrong) we are still in the “first trimester of the birth pains.” So, dearly beloved in Christ, keep watching, waiting, working, witnessing for, walking with and worshiping Jesus until He comes.

And, if you are not a believer in Jesus, please know You can become one today by agreeing with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). Lord willing, I’ll see you in heaven! Love, Doug (723/24)

QUAKES in ISRAEL!

Good morning, blog readers, from partly sunny/cloudy and cool (58 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 24 robins, 4 deer, 2 bunnies, 2 crows, a red-winged blackbird, a dove and heard 3 cardinals! Thank You, Jesus!

This headline, from today’s Jerusalem Post, really got my attention this morning: “Earthquake reported near Dead Sea area, reportedly felt in Jerusalem.”

The JP staff reported: “There was an earthquake reported near the Dead Sea with a magnitude of about 3.7 on the Richer scale on Sunday night around 11:15 p. m.., according to the National Geological Institute. The Institute confirmed the presence of the earthquake after reports about it from the residents of the area, N12 reported. A Ynet report stated that the the earthquake could also be felt in Jerusalem, Beersheba, Dimona and Eilat, with the report claiming that the Dead Sea was the epicenter of the area.

The last earthquake that occurred in Israel was four months ago in the north of the country, where a magnitude 3.8 earthquake was felt in the Sea of Galilee area.” Note: Both quakes would fall into the category of “minor” earthquakes, according to the Richter Scale.

Now, I may have told you this before, but I think it bears repeating: there was an earthquake when Jesus died (Matthew 27:50-54), when He was resurrected (Matthew 28:2) and when He will come again (Zechariah 14:1-5). And, remember, Jesus said that one of the “signs” leading up to His return would be: “earthquakes in various places (Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8 and Luke 21:11).

So, stay tuned, dearly beloved in Christ, and keep watching, waiting, working, witnessing for, walking with and worshiping Jesus until He comes. And, if you are not a believer in Jesus, you can become one today by simply agreeing with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). And, if you do, I’ll see you in heaven! Blessings with love and prayers, Doug (7/22/24)

SEIZE the MOMENT!

Good morning, blog readers, from cloudy and warm (76 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 40 robins, 6 ducks, 5 doves, 3 bunnies, a crow. a red-winged blackbird and heard 6 cardinals! Thank You, Jesus!

This morning, I was watching Bill Koenig online talking about Bible prophecy, referring to passages like Jeremiah 49: 34, 35, Isaiah 17:1 and Ezekiel 38-39 which name some of the countries of the world which are mentioned in the above Scriptures as participants in the fulfilling of Bible prophecy. So, please, check them out and “seize the moment,” as you realize that Jesus is coming and, maybe, sooner than later. And, if you are a believer in Jesus, here are six “ws” which will serve to remind you and me, what we should be doing until Jesus comes: watching, waiting, working, witnessing for, walking with and worshiping Jesus. And, if you are an unbeliever, please agree with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). And, check out the above Scriptures and watch the news because, as we get closer to the Lord’s return, you will be hearing about nations like, Russia, Iran, Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Turkey, Libya, China and others who are and will be in the headlines to fulfill Bible prophecy. So, let us: “seize the moment” until Jesus comes. Love, blessings and prayers, Doug (7/21/24)

POWER OUTAGE!

Good morning, blog readers, from cloudy and warm (76 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 19 robins, 4 doves, 2 bunnies, a red-winged blackbird and heard 6 cardinals! Thank You, Jesus!

This headline, from yesterday’s news, really got my attention: “Microsoft-Crowd Strike Issue causes ‘largest IT outage in history.'”

The CNBC staff reported: “Businesses worldwide grappled with an ongoing major IT outage Friday, as financial services and doctors’ offices were disrupted, while some TV broadcasters went offline. Air travel had been hit particularly hard, with, planes grounded, services delayed and airports issuing advice to passengers.

CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz has since said that the company is ‘actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts,” stressing that Mac and Linux hosts are not affected. “This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed,” he said on social media.” One expert suggested it may be the “largest IT outage in history.”

Now, I don’t know this for sure, but, in light of Bible prophecy, I would not be surprised if all kinds of weird things, like this power outage, will begin to happen to make us more uncomfortable to remind us, as believers in Jesus, that this is not our home. Paul said it best in Philippians 3:20-21, writing, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ Who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

I don’t know about you but, as I get older and more frail, I long for the “glorious body” the Lord has in store for me which will never wear out and will last for eternity. I can’t wait. But, wait I must and so must you until Jesus comes for His bride, the church, which is made up of all the believers in Jesus who have agreed with God they are sinners who need a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believed He died on a cross for their sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Cor. 15:1-4) to forgive all their sins and give them eternal life (John 3:16). Blessings, Doug (7/20/24)

CHILEASKAQUAKES!

Good morning, blog readers, from sunny and cool (56 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 20 robins, 3 red-winged blackbirds, 3 bunnies, 3 doves, 2 sandhill cranes, a crow, and a dog, Thank You, Jesus! And, I just saw a bunny chewing on a blade of grass in our neighbor’s yard! Thank You, Jesus!

As most of you who have been following my blogs know, I just love to write about “earthquakes,” mainly because Jesus told us, in Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8: and Luke 21:11 that before His return, “there will be “earthquakes in various places.” And, in the Luke 21:11 verse, Jesus added the word “great” to earthquakes which, interestingly enough, is the term the USGS uses to describe the largest of earthquakes (8.0+) on the Richter Scale. And, if you dare, check out Revelation 6:12-14, 11:13 and 16:18-21 and you will see how powerful and devastating these “greats” these will be.

With that in mind, let me tell you about two quakes which have occurred over the last 24 hours:. First, there was a “strong” (6.0) quake, 168 km, SW of Nikolski, Alaska. Then, there was a “major” (7.4) quake, 45 km, ESE of San Pedro de Atakama, Chile).

So, stay tuned, dearly beloved in Christ, and keep watching, waiting, working, witnessing for, walking with and worshiping Jesus until He comes. And, if you are not a believer in Jesus, you can become one today by agreeing with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). And, if you do, I’ll see you in heaven! Blessings, love and prayers, Doug (7/19/24)

WARMING UP?

Good morning, blog readers, from sunny and warm (78 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 34 robins, 6 doves, 3 deer, 2 bunnies, 2 red-winged blackbirds, 2 crows and a seagull Thank You, Jesus!

This headline, from today’s Live Science, really got my attention: ‘Rare daylight fireball’ meteor over NYC created loud boom near Statue of Liberty!”

In the article, Sascha Pare reported: “Reports of a daylight fireball and loud booms across New York City and New Jersey suggest a meteor entered the atmosphere above the city and traveled west at 38,000 mph, NASA says.”

This headline, along with yesterday’s “X flare from the sun,” made me think of, to use a baseball expression, the Lord Jesus and/or His angels, “warming up in the bullpen,” getting ready to come into the game to bring some “high heat” upon the world, as part of HIs “signs in the sun, the moon and the stars” judgments which He foretold in Luke 21:25, 26, leading up to HIs return. As I often have said to the believers in Jesus: “Stay tuned and keep watching, waiting, working, witnessing for, walking with and worshiping Jesus until He comes.

And, if you are not a believer in Jesus, please know you still have time to become one: simply agree with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). Know this: Jesus will be either your Savior or Judge. I am praying He will be your Savior and I’ll see you in heaven. Love, Doug (7/18/24)

SUN NEWS!

Good morning, blog readers, from sunny and warm (78 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 23 robins, 4 red-winged blackbirds, 3 bunnies, 3 doves, 2 cranes, 2 crows, a deer, a dog and a seagull! Thank You, Jesus!

This headline, from today’s EarthSky, got my attention: “Sun news July 17: AR3738 fires an X flare!”

C. Alex Young, Raul Cortes and Armando Caussade reported: “BAM, X flare! Just as it approached the western limb (edge) to begin passing out of view, AR3738 blasted an X1.9 flare yesterday afternoon. The eruption sent out a bubble of sun-stuff – a coronal mass ejection (CME)toward the west. It doesn’t look like this is heading toward Earth, but we’ll wait to hear from the space weather analysts. Question: “Does AR3738 have any more big eruptions in store for us, even from over the solar horizon? The chance for X-flares is 25% today. So, let’s see!

Over the last 24 hours, sun activity is high after the X-flare. In the past 24 hours the sun produced 14 flares; an X-flare, four M flares, and nine C flares. The largest flare produced between 11 UTC yesterday and 11 UTC today was the 1.9 flare from AR3738 at 13:26 UTC on July 16. An R3 (strong) radio blackout affected an area over the Atlantic Ocean.”

Now, I am not a scientist and don’t know much about these X flares but, I do know that, it is quite possible, Dr. Luke does, as he wrote in Luke 21:25-28: “And there will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the SON of MAN (the Lord Jesus) coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Luke then adds: “But when these things (the things Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21) begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

Yes, dearly beloved in Christ, these are exciting and scary times in which we live. And yet, the Lord reminds us of the work He has given us to do, saying: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

And so, dearly beloved in Christ, let us do what He has told us to do. And, if you are still not a believer in Jesus, here’s what you need to do: agree with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead to (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). And, if you do, I’ll see you in heaven! Blessings with love and prayers, Doug (7/17/24)

J.D. & J.C.?

Good morning, blog readers, from cloudy and warm (68 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 20 robins, 5 bunnies, 3 doves, 2 grackles, a cardinal & a deer! Thank You, Jesus!

This recent headline, from Julie Roys, really got my attention this morning: “Five Faith Facts About Trump’s VP Pick, J.D. Vance!”

In the article, Julie reported: “On the first day of the Republican National Convention, former President Donald Trump announced Ohio Senator J. D. Vance will be his running mate as he seeks reelection. Before his election to the Senate in 2022, Vance was a tech venture capitalist and the author of the best-selling memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ about his family history, upbringing in Middletown, Ohio, and the broader struggles facing white, working-class Americans. Vance, an adult convert to Catholicism and married to a Hindu woman, has a complicated relationship with religion and, after his recent support for keeping mifepristone, an abortion pill legal, with the GOP’s religious base Here are “five faith facts” about Vance:

Vance converted to Catholicism in August of 2019, when he was baptized and confirmed at St. Gertrude Priory in Cincinnati, Ohio, by the Rev. Henry Stephan, a Dominican friar. According to an interview with expatriate and writer Rod Dreher, who was present at the baptism, Vance chose St. Augustine as his patron saint. Vance told Dreher that he’d converted because he became persuaded over time that Catholicism was true” and had observed that the people who meant the most to him were Catholic. Vance said that his conversion would had happened sooner if not for the clergy sexual abuse crisis, “which forced me to process the church as a divine and a human institution, and what it would mean to my 2-year old son.”

Before becoming Catholic, Vance, now a father of three, was raised by Christian relatives, including many who didn’t go to church. Around when he started law school, he “went through an angry, atheist phase, as he told Dreher.”

Now, before you get all excited about Vance’s new-found faith, let me (Doug) give you some things to think about. First of all, despite what you may have been taught, Catholicism is not based on the true gospel which is that we are saved solely by God’s grace through faith in Christ, His death, burial and resurrection and not by works (Ephesians 2:8, 9).

And, did you know that everyone who has been saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ, His death, burial and resurrection is called, a “saint” in Scripture (62 times by my count).

So, whether you like it or not, believe it or not, based on the Word of God, Hindus, Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Doug Livingston and all people of all faiths or no faith will, according to the Bible, go to hell for eternity, unless you agree with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4)to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). And, if you do, I’ll see you in heaven. To be continued! Love, Doug (7/16/24)

SOMONAUK!

Good morning, blog readers, from sunny, clear and warm (70 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 23 robins, 7 bunnies, 4 doves, 3 red-winged blackbirds, 2 cranes and a deer! Thank You, Jesus!

Somonauk is a town in Illinois, about 56 miles southwest of Chicago, with a population of 1893, as of 2010 and, where, you might have guessed, there was a “minor” (3.4) earthquake this morning.

As many of you know, today begins the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee which, sadly, has already been marred by the surprising, attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump who was wounded, along with several others who were either killed or wounded by the gunfire.

All of this reminded me of what Jesus said, in Matthew 24:12, in reference to one of the “signs” leading up to His return: “And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.” The apostle Paul also wrote of these times in II Timothy 3:1-5, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.”

Sadly, in my opinion, many Christians, including myself, are not following the Scriptures on “holy living” and , whether we realize it or not, are now living for the enemy or themselves, much to Satan’s delight. Dearly beloved, let me remind you and me, we are in a war, a battle for truth, and are losing the battle because we don’t have the “armor” on to deflect the enemy’s “flaming arrows” and lies. Paul said it best, in Ephesians 6:11, “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you (I) may be able to stand to resist in the evil day. and having done everything to stand firm.”

So, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us continue to: watch, wait, work, witness for, walk with and worship Jesus until He comes. And, if you are not a believer in Jesus, please agree with God you are a sinner who needs a Savior Who is Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24) and believe He died on a cross for your sins, was buried and raised from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-4) to forgive all your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16). Blessings, love and prayers, Doug (7/15/24)